As the weather in Illinois starts to get colder, people can be of the belief that construction projects will be on hiatus until summer arrives again. Nothing could be further from the truth as many construction workers will be battling the elements and still trying to complete a variety of jobs.

When any person is involved in a construction accident in the greater Barrington area of Illinois, it is always important to quickly retain legal counsel for help having a proper investigation into the accident performed. While most workers cannot sue their employers, supervisors, or co-workers for construction site injuries, there are often cases in which third parties may be liable and do not have immunity in civil cases.

Possible Hazards for Construction Workers in the Winter

The United States Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reports that there were 42,480 workplace injuries involving ice, sleet, or snow requiring at least one day away from work for recuperation. The accidents were the result of falls, slips or trips; overexertion and bodily reaction; transportation incidents; and contact with objects and equipment.

Creating a will can be a complicated legal task. The process for executing a will is not nearly as simple as having the executor place his wishes regarding the disposition of his future estate property in writing and sign it. There is a legally-proscribed method for executing a legally effective will. The rules regarding how a will is to be executed are often interpreted quite strictly. A single deficiency in the execution procedure could lead to the entire will being held as invalid and set aside, forcing an estate into the intestacy process. To ensure that all formalities required for the creation of a valid will have been upheld, it is best to execute your will only in the presence of or at the explicit direction of your attorney. While not always possible in certain circumstances, such as when a testator is in the hospital or a skilled nursing facility, a lawyer’s office is generally the most secure place to execute your last will and testament. 

The Formalities of Will Execution in Illinois

While the procedure for executing a will may seem archaic or needlessly strict, these rules are in place to guard against fraud. When a will does not follow the guidelines described in the Illinois Probate Act, it is significantly more difficult to guarantee that a will is legitimate. 

Formalities that must be respected when executing a will include: 

Losing a loved one because someone decided to drive carelessly is a devastating experience, especially when the deceased family member was the main income earner or the primary caregiver of young children. No matter what the deceased’s role in the family was, survivors feel the loss acutely and may wonder if they can take legal action.

In Illinois, enumerated close family members may be able to file a wrongful death action against the negligent driver responsible for the crash. If your close family member was killed by a negligent driver, you should speak to an attorney as soon as possible. 

Which Family Members Can File a Wrongful Death Lawsuit?

In Illinois, only certain close family members have standing to file a wrongful death action. Eligible next of kin may be the decedent’s: 

Most people think of estate planning as deciding what happens to your belongings after you pass away. While this type of planning, called testamentary planning, is a very important part of estate planning, there is much more to it than that. A thorough, comprehensive estate plan also includes planning for potential future incapacity. People are living very long lives these days, and the fact is that many of us will one day reach a point where we can no longer make important decisions for ourselves, including medical decisions. By using a living will combined with powers of attorney, you can make certain important choices regarding your future medical care now. An attorney can help guide you through creating one so that you can take control of your own later-in-life care.

What Decisions Can I Make Using a Living Will in Illinois?

Living wills are used to govern end-of-life care for people who are terminally ill. The main purpose of a living will is to allow people to choose for themselves whether they would want to receive life-prolonging care in the event that they become terminally ill while unable to make decisions for themself due to incapacity.

Most people have very strong opinions about whether they would want to receive aggressive treatments like chemotherapy that may prolong their life without curing them at a point in their life where they are incapacitated, typically by age-related mental deterioration. Some people have religious beliefs and would want all efforts made to keep them alive as long as possible. Others would prefer to be placed in hospice and kept comfortable. These are intensely personal decisions that everyone should make for themselves.

Distracted driving is responsible for on average, over 3,000 fatalities each year nationwide. These are some of the most preventable traffic deaths - all drivers must do to avoid these serious car accidents is to pay attention to the road. One of the most important duties drivers have is to remain aware of what is going on around them. Drivers who are simply not watching the road can find themselves causing a major wreck very, very quickly. Cell phones are one of the most common distractions. Countless public awareness campaigns regarding cell phone use while driving have likely had some effect, but distracted driving remains a serious problem. If you were injured by a distracted driver, an attorney may be able to help you recover compensation.

What You Should Know About Distracted Driving in Illinois

Everyone knows better than to send a text or check their emails while they are driving. Cell phones often come with a built-in “driving mode.” Navigation systems like Waze often have safeguards built in to prevent drivers from changing the settings while their vehicle is in motion. However, people continue to focus their attention on devices rather than the traffic around them. Some alarming statistics about distracted driving include:

• Distance - When a driver going 55 miles per hour takes their eyes off the road for just five seconds to check a text message, they will drive the entire length of a football field completely blind. In that distance, they could encounter anything from a motorcycle they did not previously see to traffic that is suddenly stopping.
• Mass injuries - In 2019 alone, a shocking 424,000 individuals were injured by distracted drivers in addition to the over 3,000 who lost their lives. Distracted driving endangers the public in a major way.
• Not just drivers - One in five individuals who are injured or killed by a distracted driver is a pedestrian, a bicycle rider, or someone else who is not inside another vehicle. Distracted drivers may spot other vehicles in their peripheral vision, but miss seeing a person on foot.

While cell phones are the main culprit in distracted driving accidents, they are not the only thing that can take a driver’s attention off the road. Anything from the radio to a rowdy passenger can cause a substantial enough distraction to result in a serious crash.